Altai Tavan Bogd National Park โ€“ Mongoliaโ€™s Wild Mountain Kingdom

Govi

Land of glaciers, sacred peaks, Kazakh nomads, and breathtaking, untouched nature Located in the far western corner of Mongolia, Altai Tavan Bogd National Park is one of the most spectacular and remote natural destinations in all of Asia. Named after the five holy peaks of the Altai Mountains, this park offers dramatic landscapesโ€”towering snow-covered mountains, vast glaciers, pristine lakes, and wide green valleys where Kazakh nomads herd their animals under the open sky. For adventure travelers, photographers, and nature lovers, Altai Tavan Bogd is an unforgettable journey into Mongoliaโ€™s wild frontier.

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 The “Five Holy Peaks” of Altai

The national park is named after its five majestic peaks:

  • Khüiten Peak (4,374 m) – The highest mountain in Mongolia
  • Nairamdal Peak – At the border of Mongolia, Russia, and China
  • Malchin Peak – Accessible for non-technical climbers
  • Ölgii Peak
  • Bürged (Eagle) Peak

Why are they special:

  • Covered in permanent snow
  • Surrounded by glaciers
  • Considered sacred by the Kazakh and Tuvan people
  • Provide world-class trekking and mountaineering

The Altai Mountains feel like another world—raw, powerful, and ancient.


๐ŸงŠ Potanin Glacier – Mongolia’s Largest Glacier

The Potanin Glacier stretches more than 14 km and lies at the foot of the five peaks. Visiting it is one of the highlights of Altai Tavan Bogd.

What visitors experience:

  • A scenic hike through rocky valleys
  • Sharp ice formations and deep blue crevasses
  • Thundering glacier cracks on warm days
  • Stunning panoramic views

Trekkers often camp near the glacier for sunrise photography.


๐ŸŽ Kazakh Nomads – People of the Mountains

Altai Tavan Bogd is home to Kazakh nomadic families, famous for their warm hospitality and ancient traditions

Visitors can experience:

  • Staying in cozy Kazakh gers
  • Drinking traditional tea and fresh dairy
  • Learning about eagle hunting (some hunters live nearby)
  • Riding horses through valleys
  • Watching daily nomadic life

Kazakh culture adds a deep human richness to the wild landscape.


๐Ÿž Khoton & Khurgan Lakes – Alpine Beauty

Located in the southern part of the park, these crystal-clear lakes are surrounded by pine forests and snow-capped mountains.

Perfect for:

  • Photography
  • Camping
  • Relaxation
  • Kayaking
  • Horse trekking

The lakes reflect the mountains like a mirror during calm weather.


๐ŸฆŒ Wildlife of the Altai Mountains

Altai Tavan Bogd is rich in high-altitude wildlife. Visitors may spot:

  • Argali sheep
  • Ibex
  • Snow leopards (rare but present)
  • Wolves
  • Golden eagles
  • Various alpine birds

The ecosystem is pristine and untouched.


๐Ÿงญ Top Activities in Altai Tavan Bogd

๐Ÿฅพ 1. Trekking & Hiking

  • Potanin Glacier trek (most popular)
  • Basecamp hike to the Five Peaks
  • Multi-day treks through valleys and over passes

๐Ÿง— 2. Mountaineering

  • Khüiten Peak: Requires technical climbing
  • Malchin Peak: Non-technical; accessible for beginners

๐ŸŽ 3. Horseback Expeditions

Ride with Kazakh guides through mountain terrain and camp along rivers.

๐Ÿ• 4. Camping in the Wilderness

Experience complete silence under star-filled skies.

๐Ÿ“ธ 5. Photography Tours

The landscape is dramatic:

  • Glacier textures
  • Jagged peaks
  • Nomadic families
  • Kazakh eagle hunters
  • Golden hour mountain light

๐Ÿ›ถ 6. Lake Activities

Fishing, kayaking, or simply relaxing by the water.


๐Ÿ—บ How to Get There

Step 1: Fly from Ulaanbaatar → Ölgii (3 hours)

Step 2: Drive 4–6 hours from Ölgii to the park

(4x4 vehicles required)

Most visitors join organized tours due to the remoteness and off-road terrain.


๐Ÿ›– Where to Stay

โœ” Kazakh Family Gers

Authentic cultural immersion.

โœ” Ger Camps Near Khoton Lake

Some with basic facilities.

โœ” Tented Camps

Most common choice for trekkers and mountaineers.

โœ” Hotels in Ölgii City

Before starting or after finishing a trekking trip.


๐Ÿ’ก Best Time to Visit

June – September

Ideal weather for trekking and camping.

October

Cold but perfect for attending the Eagle Festival.

Winter (Nov–Apr)

Extreme cold; only for special expeditions.


๐Ÿ“ธ Best Photography Spots

  • Potanin Glacier viewpoint
  • Basecamp of Tavan Bogd Peaks
  • Sunrise at Khoton & Khurgan Lakes
  • Kazakh nomad camps
  • Eagles soaring over mountain ridges

The Altai is one of the most photogenic places on earth.


๐ŸŒŸ Why Altai Tavan Bogd Belongs on Your Bucket List

โœ” Mongolia’s highest mountains
โœ” One of the worlds last untouched wildernesses
โœ” Unique Kazakh nomadic culture
โœ” Legendary eagle hunters nearby
โœ” Glaciers, alpine lakes, and remote valleys
โœ” World-class trekking, riding, and photography

Altai Tavan Bogd National Park is a place where adventure, culture, and nature come together in their purest form—an unforgettable journey into Mongolia's wild western frontier.

Testimonial

What Client Say About Us

Maria Doe

Traveller

Exceptional Northern Mongolia Experience with Lunas Tours Our journey through Northern Mongolia was truly unforgettable thanks to 'Lunas Tours'. Traveling through the Khuvsgul region, Darkhad Valley, and remote northern landscapes, we experienced pristine nature, rich nomadic culture, and deep local traditions that few tours can offer. The tour was extremely well-organized, with careful planning for long distances, changing weather, and remote conditions. We especially appreciated the authentic experiencesโ€”staying with local families, learning about reindeer herdersโ€™ lifestyles, and enjoying the peaceful beauty of Mongoliaโ€™s northern taiga. The teamโ€™s strong local knowledge, cultural sensitivity, and respect for nature made the journey both safe and meaningful. This was not just sightseeing, but a true cultural and natural immersion. We highly recommend 'Lunas Tours' to travelers who want to explore Northern Mongolia in a responsible, authentic, and well-guided way.

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Micheal and Debby from Nederland

Traveller

Outstanding service by Guide Luna & Driver Eba โ€“ Lunas Tours Our trip in Mongolia was exceptional thanks to our guide Luna and driver Eba. Luna was incredibly knowledgeable, professional, and caring. She explained Mongoliaโ€™s history, culture, and traditions with passion and clarity, and always made sure everyone felt comfortable and well-informed throughout the journey. Driver Eba was equally impressive. His driving was safe, smooth, and reliable even on challenging roads and long distances. He handled every situation calmly and professionally, making us feel secure at all times. Together, Luna and Eba worked as a perfect team. Their coordination, friendliness, and attention to detail turned our trip into a truly memorable experience. We highly recommend them to anyone traveling in Mongolia with Lunas Tours.

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Sarah

Australian traveler

Amazing experience with Lunas Tours โ€“ Mongolia Our journey with Lunas Tours was truly unforgettable. From the very beginning, everything was well-organized, flexible, and thoughtfully planned. The team showed deep knowledge of Mongoliaโ€™s culture, history, and nature, and they always made sure we felt safe and comfortable. What we appreciated most was Lunas Toursโ€™ personalized approach and support for local communities. Staying with local families, experiencing authentic food, and exploring Mongoliaโ€™s breathtaking landscapes made this trip very special. We highly recommend Lunas Tours to anyone who wants a genuine, meaningful, and well-guided travel experience in Mongolia. ๐ŸŽ

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John

American traveller

โญโญโญโญโญ Lunas Tours gave us an authentic and unforgettable Mongolian experience! Professional guides, great organization, and strong support for local communities. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Mongolia.

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Vaiopoulos Nikos

Greece Traveller

Luna Khaliunaa Mongolian Guide provide for me and my company one of the best travel experience we ever had. Mongolia was awesome thanks to her! Ever consider visit Mongolia Lunas' Tours should be your only choice.

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Garry's family

Canadian family

Perfect family tour with Guide Luna & Driver Eba Our family had a wonderful experience traveling in Mongolia with Lunas Tours in winter - 2025, especially thanks to our guide Luna and driver Eba. Luna was incredibly kind, patient, and attentive to our children. She explained Mongolian culture and history in a way that was easy and interesting for both adults and kids, making the journey educational and fun. Driver Eba made us feel completely safe throughout the trip. His careful driving, calm attitude, and readiness to help at any moment gave us great peace of mind, especially while traveling with children and luggage. Thanks to Luna and Eba, our family felt comfortable, well-cared-for, and truly welcomed. This was not just a tour, but a meaningful family memory. We highly recommend Lunas Tours for families visiting Mongolia.

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Minje & Dunhe

Korean family

ํ•จ๊ป˜ํ•œ ์™„๋ฒฝํ•œ ๊ฐ€์กฑ ์—ฌํ–‰ ์ €ํฌ ๊ฐ€์กฑ์€ ๋ฃจ๋‚˜์Šค ํˆฌ์–ด(Lunas Tours)์™€ ํ•จ๊ป˜ํ•œ ๋ชฝ๊ณจ ์—ฌํ–‰์—์„œ ์ •๋ง ์žŠ์ง€ ๋ชปํ•  ์‹œ๊ฐ„์„ ๋ณด๋ƒˆ์Šต๋‹ˆ๋‹ค. ํŠนํžˆ ๊ฐ€์ด๋“œ ๋ฃจ๋‚˜ ์™€ ๋“œ๋ผ์ด๋ฒ„ ์—๋ฐ” ๋•๋ถ„์— ์•„์ด๋“ค๊ณผ ํ•จ๊ป˜ํ•˜๋Š” ์—ฌํ–‰์ด ๋”์šฑ ํŽธ์•ˆํ•˜๊ณ  ์•ˆ์ „ํ–ˆ์Šต๋‹ˆ๋‹ค. ๊ฐ€์ด๋“œ ๋ฃจ๋‚˜๋Š” ์•„์ด๋“ค์—๊ฒŒ๋„ ์ดํ•ดํ•˜๊ธฐ ์‰ฌ์šด ๋ฐฉ์‹์œผ๋กœ ๋ชฝ๊ณจ์˜ ์—ญ์‚ฌ์™€ ๋ฌธํ™”๋ฅผ ์„ค๋ช…ํ•ด ์ฃผ์—ˆ๊ณ , ํ•ญ์ƒ ์นœ์ ˆํ•˜๊ณ  ์„ธ์‹ฌํ•˜๊ฒŒ ๊ฐ€์กฑ์„ ๋ฐฐ๋ คํ•ด ์ฃผ์—ˆ์Šต๋‹ˆ๋‹ค. ์—ฌํ–‰ ๋‚ด๋‚ด ์•„์ด๋“ค์˜ ์ƒํƒœ๋ฅผ ์‚ดํŽด์ฃผ๋ฉฐ ๋ถ€๋ชจ ์ž…์žฅ์—์„œ ํฐ ์•ˆ์‹ฌ์ด ๋˜์—ˆ์Šต๋‹ˆ๋‹ค. ๋“œ๋ผ์ด๋ฒ„ ์—๋ฐ”๋Š” ์žฅ๊ฑฐ๋ฆฌ ์ด๋™๊ณผ ํ—˜ํ•œ ๋„๋กœ์—์„œ๋„ ํ•ญ์ƒ ์•ˆ์ „ํ•˜๊ณ  ์ฐจ๋ถ„ํ•˜๊ฒŒ ์šด์ „ํ•ด ์ฃผ์—ˆ์œผ๋ฉฐ, ๊ฐ€์กฑ ์—ฌํ–‰๊ฐ์—๊ฒŒ ๊ผญ ํ•„์š”ํ•œ ์•ˆ์ •๊ฐ์„ ์ฃผ์—ˆ์Šต๋‹ˆ๋‹ค. ๋ฃจ๋‚˜์™€ ์—๋ฐ”์˜ ์™„๋ฒฝํ•œ ํŒ€์›Œํฌ ๋•๋ถ„์— ์ด๋ฒˆ ์—ฌํ–‰์€ ๋‹จ์ˆœํ•œ ๊ด€๊ด‘์ด ์•„๋‹ˆ๋ผ ๊ฐ€์กฑ ๋ชจ๋‘์—๊ฒŒ ์†Œ์ค‘ํ•œ ์ถ”์–ต์ด ๋˜์—ˆ์Šต๋‹ˆ๋‹ค. ๋ชฝ๊ณจ๋กœ ๊ฐ€์กฑ ์—ฌํ–‰์„ ๊ณ„ํšํ•˜์‹ ๋‹ค๋ฉด ๋ฃจ๋‚˜์Šค ํˆฌ์–ด๋ฅผ ์ง„์‹ฌ์œผ๋กœ ์ถ”์ฒœํ•ฉ๋‹ˆ๋‹ค.

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Adrian Lee

Singaporeans

Our trip to Mongolia with Lunas Tours was an absolutely unforgettable experience. Traveling through the heart of Central Mongolia โ€” from the breathtaking Orkhon Valley to the remote beauty of the Eight Lakes (Naiman Nuur) โ€” gave us a true glimpse into the soul of this vast and peaceful land. Special thanks to our amazing guide Luna, whose deep knowledge, kindness, and professionalism made the journey smooth and meaningful, and to our skilled driver Eba, who safely navigated the mountain passes and rugged trails with calm confidence. The Orkhon Valley, with its wide open grasslands, wild horses, and traditional herder families, was a highlight โ€” we felt connected to Mongolian history and nomadic culture. The horseback trip to the Eight Lakes was truly magical, surrounded by pine forests, sparkling lakes, and the peaceful sound of nature. Visiting Erdene Zuu Monastery, the first Buddhist monastery in Mongolia, was another memorable experience. The blend of ancient architecture and the serene spiritual atmosphere made it a powerful reminder of Mongoliaโ€™s rich history and culture. Finally, the hike up to Tuvkhun Monastery, perched high in the Khangai mountains, was both peaceful and inspiring. The view from the top was breathtaking, and it gave us a sense of tranquility that words cannot describe. We are deeply grateful to Luna and Eba for taking such good care of us throughout the journey โ€” from comfortable accommodations to delicious meals and flexible travel arrangements. Their warm hospitality made us feel like family. Thank you, Lunas Tours, for organizing such a perfect balance of adventure, culture, and nature. We will definitely recommend your company to friends and family in Singapore who are seeking an authentic Mongolian experience. โ€“ On behalf of travelers from Singapore

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